Paul Falkowski, a distinguished professor in the Departments of Marine and Coastal Sciences and Earth and Planetary Sciences, was among the members of the core editorial team who contributed to the compilation of the “Plankton Manifesto,” according to a University article.
The manifesto was spearheaded by the Ocean Stewardship Coalition of the United Nations Global Compact, and while the project took approximately a year to put together, it was presented to the United Nations in October, said Falkowski.
The 20-page long document details the importance of plankton and offers solutions to combat crises related to the climate, biodiversity and pollution, known as the triple planetary crisis.
“Much less than 1 percent of the photosynthetic biomass on the planet is phytoplankton, and they produce 46 percent, approximately, of the world’s oxygen. So, the small guys are doing a big job,” he said. “Every other breath you take is coming from phytoplankton.”
Read the complete article at The Daily Targum.